What is proofreading?

Proofreading consists of checking a document for grammatical and spelling errors, typos, punctuation and syntax. This process typically involves much the same correction as a secondary school teacher would perform on a written test. The meaning of words and terminology is irrelevant here, as the task focuses only on the correctness of the text.

Proofreading presents a special challenge, first because the proofreader is usually the author; second because such authors are often unaware of the inevitability of errors and the effort required finding them; and third, as finding any final errors often occurs just when stress levels are highest and time is shortest, readers’ minds resist identifying them as errors. Under these conditions, proofreaders will see only what they want to see. Everyone, even professional writers, editors and proofreaders, fails at creating the perfect draft the first time. People involved in the writing professions know that proofreading is an essential part of the writing process.In proofreading, you can take nothing for granted, because unconscious mistakes are so easy to make! Most errors in written work are made unconsciously. It is the unconscious nature of the worst that makes proofreading so difficult. The student who turned in a paper saying, “I like girdle cakes for breakfast” did not have a perverted digestion. He thought he had written “griddle cakes” and because that’s what he was sure he had written, that’s what he “saw” when he proofread.It is twice as hard to detect mistakes in your own work as in someone else’s! Another reason why documents should be checked by external proofreaders is that when you read normally, you often see only the shells of words — the first and last few letters, perhaps. You “fix your eyes” on the print only three or four times per line, or less. You take in the words between your fixation points with your peripheral vision, which gets less accurate the farther it is from the point. The average reader can only take in six letters accurately with one fixation. This means you have to fix your eyes on almost every word you have written and do it twice in longer words, in order to proofread accurately. You have to look at the word, not slide over it.Professional editors proofread as many as ten times. Publishing houses hire teams of readers to work in pairs, out loud. And still errors occur. A thorough proofread will include looking for all of the following: • Typos that are still words- These will not be caught by spell-check: from/form, it’s/its, thing/think. • Typos that are not words- Not everyone runs a spell-check. • Easily confused words- Even professionals find themselves looking up such words as affect/effect, lie/lay or compose/comprise. • Doubled words-It is easy to overlook to to or the the, especially when there is a line break between them. • Sentence fragments- Verbs not operating as verbs and sentences too short or too long to easily identify their structure are common examples of this. • Pronoun-antecedent agreement- Pronouns have to agree in number, person and gender with what they refer to. (An incorrect version of that sentence would be Pronouns have to agree in number, person and gender with what it refers to. “It” is singular, but refers to “pronouns,” which is plural.) • Misplaced and missing punctuation- It is easy to overlook a missing full-stop or end quotation mark when you’re in the middle of focusing on content. • Spelling consistency- Is it advisor or adviser? Is it about Christina or Kristina? While all correct, you want to make sure that you stick with one spelling. • Formatting- Are all paragraphs equally indented? Are all font sizes and styles consistent? Did pictures end up where they were supposed to? Is the table of contents still accurate? • Numbers- Every digit in every number is checked for accuracy.

Project management is a tough role. You often find yourself being pulled between keeping users, subordinates, team members and senior people happy. Given these demands, what do the best project managers do that makes them stand out from the crowd?

1. Focus on solutions

Problem solving and breaking through constraints is an essential part of managing projects. Those that excel as project managers have a mindset where they focus on finding solutions to problems. They keep asking themselves how they can overcome whatever barriers arise.

2. Participative and decisive

All the best project managers understand the need to communicate and consult. They also know that lots of talking and procrastination achieves nothing. Finding the right balance between consulting, deciding and acting is what separates the best from the rest.

3. Focus on customer

In every project there are customers. They might be internal or external or a combination of both. The best project managers keep customers at the forefront of their mind. They listen effectively, take on board the feedback they are getting and look for ways of incorporating it whenever they can.

4. Focus on win-win outcomes

In any project there will be many stakeholders, all of whom will see their issues as being the most important. The challenge that the best project managers respond to is finding solutions that address the issues without compromising the overall project structure.

5. Lead from the front

Project managers need to lead by example. The example they set determines how the rest of the team behave and respond to the challenges that arise. Those project managers who want to encourage openness and honesty are open and honest themselves. Those that take risks and learn from their mistakes empower others to do the same.

6. Adapt to what arises

You can set out the best plans in the world, think about the risks, put great tracking in place and even then the unexpected will show up from time to time.

Adaptability is a key characteristic of the best project managers. View adaptability in projects a bit like the flight path of an aircraft. It can be off course along the way but it needs to be right on target when it comes to landing.

7. Get the best out of everyone

Those that excel as project managers realize they cannot do it all on their own. They recognize the importance of the collective team effort in getting results. They find and utilize the strengths in everyone and try to ensure that they allocate roles to those best placed to deliver. They learn to keep everyone motivated and pushing the boundaries to get results.

Project management is a complex and demanding role. Starting to work on these 7 habits can take you to the next level.